2022 Domaine Roland Lavantureaux, Petit Chablis AOC, White Burgundy, France.
This wine, the Domaine Roland Lavantureaux Petit Chablis, always over performs, with a classic terroir driven nose of wet stones, citrus blossoms and lime leaf, leading to a surprisingly deep palate of citrus/lime essence, green apple, white peach fruits along with its steely core of chalky mineral, as well as hints of clove spice, saline/sea spray, hazelnut and zesty lemon oil. This greenish pale gold 2022 has plenty of personality and thrills in the glass, it drinks beautifully already, and performs more like a Premier Cru, which should make Chablis fans very happy, making this bottling, per normal for my taste, a very savvy buy. I’ve been lucky to enjoy these Lavantureaux many times and have marveled on how they have stayed a bit under the radar in the states and the quality to price ratio remains outstanding, in particular I recommend their Fourchaume and Vau de Vey premier Crus, along with the basic Chablis AOC and this Petit Chablis, with this new vintage being one to stock up on. The Lavantureaux Petit Chablis vines are mature, averaging over 25 years old, and set on chalky clay and Limestone of the Portlandian type, which gives this wine its personalty and character, this wine is sublime with food and goes deliciously with sea foods.
Kermit Lynch has been the long time importer of Domaine Roland Lavantureaux, a winery I have enjoyed for more than a decade, and they have been a steady performer for decades making a solid and correct lineup of Chardonnay with pure regional character, but the latest lineup here is a big step up, these wines have a wow factor and especially good is their iconic Petit Chablis. While known for its Kimmeridgian soils, Importer Kermit Lynch notes, a highly prized terroir of limestone and clay infused with tiny, fossilized oysters, which intensely showcases chalky sea-shell minerality lends deep complexity to whites, making this region an ideal home for the Chardonnay grape. Going on, he explains that the Portlandian soils in the extension of the Chablis appellation, known as Petit Chablis, may not enjoy the same reputation as the Kimmeridgian, yet they imbue the wines with a crisp, lively freshness and zesty, citrusy aromas that speak to the deep mineral component of northern Burgundy and of which I can attest to here. The grapes here are all organic and special care is done in the vines with a rigorous sorting to only bring in the best fruit, all of which come in with plenty of verve and electric acidity. The Petit Chablis is fermented and aged in stainless steel, all to promote that crisp and zesty quality, with the wine being aged on the lees for between 5-10 months, depending, as the winery notes, on the vintage, keeping everything exciting.
($38 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive